Smithsonian.com

Dinosaur Sighting: Roadside Tyrannosaurus

Today's submission is a vintage shot submitted by Stephen Sasser of Portland, Oregon.

In 1958 Stephen (on the left), his brother (on the right), and his dad (center) took a drive up Oregon's State Highway 97 to Thunderbeast Park, and during the trip he stopped to pose with his family in front of the park's Tyrannosaurus rex. Sadly, Thunderbeast Park was later shut down, and though the dinosaurs and prehistoric mammal statues stayed in place for a while, by 2006 almost all of them were torn down.

Today the location is a chrome shop for truckers, but rumor has it that at least one dinosaur statue still looms over the highway out front. If any of our Oregon readers are feeling adventurous I would love to see what that dinosaur looks like today!

Do you have a photo of a dinosaur in an unexpected place? Send your submission to dinosaursightings@gmail.com and you might see it here!

Like this article?SIGN UP for our newsletter

About Brian Switek

Brian Switek is a freelance science writer specializing in evolution, paleontology, and natural history. He blogs regularly for Scientific American.

Tags

We Recommend

Coconut octopuses are among the most intelligent invertebrates around: They use tools, carry their shelters around for when they need them, and, fittingly, adopt an underwater walking motion that's very similar to humans.